Car-stopper.



WITNESSES J. H. BROWN.

CAR STOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. I917.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

ATTORNEY J. H. BROWN.

CAR STOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1917.

1,250, 1 33. Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY N OFFICE.

JOSIAH H. BROWN, OF MINDENMINES, MISSOURI.

GAR-STOPPER.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'JosIAH H. BRowN, a citizen of the United States, residlng at Mindenmines, in the county-of Barton and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in car stoppers, and more particularly to structure of this character adapted for use in mines and in other like connections where it is desired to stop or slow-down a car or a string of cars, in making a flying switch or where the cars are traveling down grade. An object of my invention is to provide structure of the character set forth which can be mounted in place for use by being se' cured on the ties adjacent the tracks on which the cars travel, and which mechanism is so constructed that the braking parts are normally in an inoperative position where the cars may travel freely along the track.

A further object resides in providing manually actuatable means to be manipulated to bring the braking parts into operative position, and which manually actuatable means can be given various degrees of movement to thus regulate and vary the braking action to be accomplished.

With the aboveand other objects in view, which will be in part described and in part understood from the specification, drawings, and claims, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combi nations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully set forth. I

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing the mechanism of my invention as it would be mounted for use,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view to show the manner of bracing the parts;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detailed view taken at right angles to the disclosure in Fig. 3 and l0oking from the inner side, and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. a but looking from the opposite side.

lVhile I have above set forth that the structure is adaptable for use in stopping mining cars or other cars of a like nature which are not equipped with brakes, it will of course be apparent that this is only one connection in which the structure might be used and that the mechanism might even be Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Patented Dec, 18, 1917, Application filed May 9, 1917. Serial 110. 167,572.

constructed to be applied and used in connection with railroad equipment of standard gage and intended for freight and passenger carrying service, however, as the parts will be substantially the same in any adaptation or use, it will be understood that if the present description seems to be directed more particularly to the adoption of the mechanism for use in stopping min- 1ng cars, this is only for the sake of convenience.

The rails 1 are mounted on the ties 2 in the [usual manner, and for that matter it will be understood that the tracks, the cars,

and in fact all parts of the equipment can be of standard and regular construction.

Standards 3 are mounted on the outer ends" of certaln t1es 2 by use of bolts 4, or in any other suitable and desired manner, it being understood that the standards are the s'up- 4 porting structure for .thebraking mechanism and will therefore consequently be positioned along the tracks at the location where the cars are to be stopped.

Substantially L-shaped bracket members 5 are provided withopenings in one of the arms thereof for the reception of the bolt 6,

and the standards 3 have slotted openings 7 provided therein through which the bolts 6 are passed. 'By this arrangement of the parts, the bracket members 5 are mounted on the standards 3 to be capable of limited movement in a vertical path and the free arms of these bracket members overhang the rails 1 of the track. Braces 8 areconnected diagonally between the arms of the bracket members 5 to insure that the overhanging arm will be rigidly held in place and secured against swinging upwardly, and these brace members 8' at their lower ends are bent outwardly to each have a bearing foot 9 thereon. Coil springs 10 are mounted to bear at the upper ends against the feet 9 of the brace members 8 and at their lower ends against the ties or a part of the standard 3, so that these springs 10, which are of the compression type, normally exert resilient force to move the bracket members 5 to such position thatthe bolts'6 abut against the upper end of the slotted openings 7 of the standards 3.

The standards 3 are mounted substantially after the manner shown in'Fig. 1 so that they are somewhat spaced apart, and at that end from which the cars to be stopped will approach, a supporting member llis mountnected on the under side of the extension arm of the supporting member 11 by means of bolts 13, and this braking strip is extended over and is lined with the rail 1 and is secured on the under side of the over hanging arms of the bracket members 5 by means of rivets let, or other suitable fastening means. As has been stated, the compression springs 10 will act to normally force the bracket members 5 upwardly to a position that the bolts 6 have had their full movement Within the slotted openings 7 of the standards 3, and the overhanging arm of the supporting member 11 is provided at such an elevation that the braking strip is then above and parallel with the rail 1 throughout its entire extent, this position of the braking strip being so gaged and figured that a clearance of two inches, more or less, above the wheels of the cars traveling on the tracks 1 will be had.

At their upper ends the standards 8 have bearing openings 15 provided, and shafts 16 are fitted in these bearings and are provided with the operating arm 17. The shafts 16 are squared throughout a, part of their length and the cam members 18 are fitted thereon to be held in place on the squared portions of the shafts by the nuts 19. By fitting the cam portions or members in the manner set forth and providing the arms 17 on the shaft 16, structures are provided with which the arms 17 may be swung and will bring eccentric portions of the cam members 18 to bear down against the bracket members 5 and depress the same against the raising force exerted by the springs 10. As any one of the arms 17 may be moved in a turning path to bring the cam member 18 moved thereby, against the bracket member fitted to the supporting standard, this bracket member will not only be depressed but will lower the braking strip 12 when given the downward movement, and as the braking action upon the wheels of the cars to be stopped is to be accomplished by swinging the braking strip 12 down to engage with and frictionally bear upon the wheels, it is preferable that the strip 12 be lowered to have an even bearing against the wheel throughout substantially its entire length. With this purpose in view, the connecting rods 20 have the arms 17 pivotally connected therewith to mount the several arms to be swung and moved simultaneously. A manually actuatable operating lever 21 has an arm 22 extending therefrom and a pinis carried by the connecting rod 20 and received in a slotted opening of the arm 22, so that as the operating lever 21 is swung around its central bearing, the arm 22 will be correspondingly swung and will in turn move the connecting rod 20 to impart swinging movement to the arms 17, the cam members 18 being thus shifted. By this arrangement of the parts, the several cams 18 will be simultaneously turned'to bring the eccentric portions thereof to bear down against the bracket members 5 and equal depression of the brake strip 12 will be accomplished throughout substantially its entire length. As has been stated, the supporting member 11 has a fixed extension arm thereon and the strip 12 is at one end rigidly secured on this arm by means of the bolt 13, and thus this end of the strip 12 will. be at all times maintained at a predetermined height so that as the strip is depressed it will take substan tially the shape as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1 and the wieels of the car moving in the direction of thearrow of that figure will move freely under the forward end of the strip, but will be engaged. bv those port-ions which have been depressed by the cam members 18 to thus have a friction braking force exertedthereagainst. As the movement of the cars under the inertia from traveling to the stopping mechanism will cause the wheels to exert a greater or lesser degree of pulling strain upon the strip 12 in the direction of travel of the car,vit is de siranle that a brake member 25-be connected with the forward end of the strip 12 and then anchored at its free end upon the ties, or in some other suitable way, andl as the wheels will have the tread portions thereof travel under the strip 12, this brake member 25 should be slightly offset toward the'outer end of the tie to thus preclude interference with the travel of the car.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a car stopping structure which is of such character that it can be fitted in place for use with railway equipment already installed, to slow down or stop movement of cars when the same are traveling down grade, are'about to be switched, or are for some other reason to be retarded in their travel, and which structure has the parts thereof so arranged t-hata light or heavy braking pressure can be accomplished by manipulation of the manually actuatable lever while at the same time the mounting of the forwardzend of the brake strip upon-the supporting member so that it is held at a fixed height above the track will cause the wheels to slide under the brake strip and have the pressure more gradually applied thereto.

While I have herein shown and described will be understood that a number of changes and variations might be made in theform and arrangement of the parts as well in the manner of mounting the same, where conditions of use or the wishes of the party installing the apparatus might dictate, and hence I wish to be limited to only such points as set forth in the claims.

I claim 1. A car stopper including in combination with a track having a car mounted to travel thereon, a brake strip, means by which one end of said brake strip is fixedly mounted at an elevation 'suiiicien'tly above the track that wheels of the car may pass freely therebeneath, and manually actuatabl-e means to bring the remaining portions of the brake strip into such proximity with respect to the track that frictional bearing is exerted against the wheels of the car.

2. A car stopper including a brake strip mounted adjacent a track having a car mounted to travel thereon, means to bring the brake strip to a position in which it accomplishes a braking action against the wheels of the car, and springs mounted to bear against the brake strip and normally move the same to a position out of contact with the wheels of the car.

3. A car stopper including in combination with a track having a car mounted to travel thereon, a flexible brake strip, means by which one end of said brake strip is mounted at a fixed elevation above one of the rails of the track and is given sufficient clearance therefrom for free passage of the wheels of the car, means by which the remaining portions of the brake strip are shiftably mounted, means to normally hold the shiftable portions of the brake strip at the same elevation with the fixed portion, and manually actuatable means to move the shiftable portion of said strip to such a position that frictional bearing is had with the wheels of the car as the same travels on the track.

4. A car stopper including in combination with a track having a car mounted to travel thereon, standards mounted out side of and adjacent one of the rails of the track, bracket members carried by said standards and connected therewith to be capable of movement in a vertical path, a brake strip carried by the bracket members of the various standards and located to be substantially over and parallel with one of the rails, springs to normally hold the bracket members raised to bring the brake strip above the wheels of the car, cam members pivotally mounted upon the standards to be turned to bear against the bracket members and lower the same to bring the brake strip into a position to engage with and accomplish a braking action against the wheels of the car, and means to turn the several cam members simultaneously to give equal depressing movement toeach of the bracket members by which the brake strip is carried.

. 5. A car stopper including in combination with a track having a car mounted to travel thereon, standards mounted out side of and adjacent one of the rails of the track, bracket members carried by said standards and connected therewith to be capable of movement in a vertical path, a brake strip carried by the bracket members of the various standards and located to be substantially over and parallel with one of the rails,

springs to normally hold the bracket mem ing member with which the forward end of the brake strip is connected to be supported at a fixed height above the rail over which it is mounted, and a brace member connected with the forward end of the strip and anchored at its remaining end to hold the strip against endwise shifting movement under the pulling strain exerted thereagainst by the wheels of the car.

6. A car stopper including a brake strip mounted substantially above and parallel with one of the rails of a track having a ear mounted to travel thereon, means by which one end of said strip is held rigidly at a predetermined elevation above the rail to clear the wheels of the car as the same travels along the rails, movable means by which the body portion of-the brake strip is carried, springs normally exerting force against the movable means to raise the strip sufficiently that the body portion thereof clears the wheels, and manually actuatable means working in conjunction with the movable brake strip supporting means to shift thesame to bring the brake strip to a position to engage with the wheels of the car as the same travels upon the rails.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSIAH H. BROWN.

Witnesses:

E. N. BLEVANS, JEssE LETTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. A Washington, C, 

